Almost £1bn has been spent on new presses by the main newspaper suppliers since 2004, with all the upgrades providing full-colour printing capability.

In its latest results, DMGT said the Mail titles, which have been printed in full-colour since 1 January this year, brought in "strong display advertising revenues".

The company reported advertising revenue for its subsidiary Associated Newspapers had increased by 4% to £242m.

Associated Newspapers' revenue increased from £499m to £508m, while profit dipped from £46m to £44m. Circulation revenues were unchanged at £188m.

DMGT as a whole increased its turnover by 5% to £1.16bn. Operating profit also jumped 5% to £166m. However, the company's statutory results, including amortisation and impairment, revealed an 83% drop in profit.

Company chairman Viscount Rothermere said: "Most of our businesses have performed well despite the conditions in the global and financial property markets.

"The economic outlook remains uncertain, but the group's strong cash flow allows continued investment to ensure our businesses achieve their full potential.

"We continue to believe that our strategy of creating a diversified portfolio of market-leading operations across both businesses and consumer media products leaves us well positioned to deliver long-term growth."